More Than Anyone Deserves
by Enula
Summary: When one of Naraku's newest henchmen attacks the Yasha group, Kagome ends up blind and mute. And what has happened to Kirara? Her form got changed and it doesn't seem like it's for the better.
1. Beautiful, Deadly Witch

**__**

More Than Anyone Deserves

I.

"Come awake, my child…"

A heartbeat resounded in response to the command meant to bring a being to life. The heartbeat was irregular; giving off the impression that whomever enraptured that heart should very well not be amongst the living.

__

Thump…th-thunk…thump…

The room was unnaturally dark, lit only by one single scarlet candle, wax dripping down the side much like how blood would dribble out of a deep wound. All windows and other sources of light closed off the rest of the world, not yet ready for what it was about to endure.

A creature bounded to the floor stirred. Again, it heard its master command it to awaken, as it was trying to get used to the very feeling of being. It hissed and swirled about when the burning wax splashed upon it's flesh, slowly bubbling into it's core. It breathed heavier, desperately, as it tried to escape the wrath of Hell's fires. All at once, the unsteady rhythm of the abnormal heart puttered to a halt.

__

"Awaken…"

It's skin soaked up the wax, also absorbing the evil mixed within the boiling blood. Just as sudden, it took in a deep breath of air, the creature sitting up to all fours before opening it's eyes…orbs that held nothing but resentment as it stared at it's master. Eyes that shined, not quite red, but a deep burgundy, flamed against the blackness of the chamber.

Pulling in another shallow breath, it spoke. A feminine voice it was, sounding soft and out of place in such a tormented locality.

__

"I will obey, Naraku, my master."

The late evening sun held firmly over the horizon, reflecting a deep rose color to anything that was vulnerable to the light. The sky was sprayed with different shades of magenta, lavender, and ivory. On the ground, a group traveled, making small talk among themselves that seemed to make the minutes pass by a little quicker.

Miroku and Sango were in the front line, leading them down the stony path that was centered between lush grass that looked cool enough to lay upon and get some nice rest.

Kagome, who was walking behind the two and beside Inuyasha, mentioned this idea, "Do you guys wanna stop for tonight? My legs are starting to get tired." She pounded her thighs lightly with his fists to add more effect to her statement.

"Yeah, and I'm hungry!" Piped up Shippou who was resting on Kagome's shoulder. His head laid on his crossed arms, staring bleakly ahead at the trail that seemed to stretch on for miles.

The Houshi looked over his shoulder at them, his voice full of reassurance, "Hold on for a little longer. I'm pretty sure we're almost to a village where we can stay the night."

Sango looked over to him with dry eyes, her hand absently coming up to pet Kirara's head. The small youkai mewed with delight, not taking notice to the edge in Sango's voice, "How many miles did you say this village was, Houshi-sama?"

"About three miles," he answered, ignoring the low groan from Kagome.

Sighing, Sango looked forward again, "You said that over an hour ago…"

"No…I'm pretty sure I said _seven _miles over an hour ago," Miroku contradicted, holding up a finger to make a point, "I say traveling four miles in an hour is pretty good."

"You would say that…" Inuyasha finally spoke, the words mumbled in annoyance.

Kagome looked down and sighed when she realized that they weren't about to stop any time soon. She tried to focus her mind on other things besides the slight pull the back of her right knee was inflicting upon her nerves. Usually, she could walk all day, but most of the time, something distracted her, whether it be a youkai wanting a fight, or Kouga-kun coming up to woo her and annoy Inuyasha.

The young miko sighed again, "I wish something exciting would happen…"

"Ah," Miroku began, looking over his shoulder at her, "be careful what you wish for."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed, his arms unfolding to rest upon his hips. He snapped rather suddenly, "I agree with Kagome on this one. Usually by now a jewel shard would show up somehow. Are we really that far away from anyone and anything that Kagome can't get a sense of one? I'm beginning to think there is no village nearby and you just lead us down a certain path blindly, without—."

"Calm down, Inuyasha," said a surprisingly brave Shippou, perking his head up to look over at the hanyou, "I swear, sometimes you're worse than a child; always complaining about how far away a place is and wanting to know when we're gonna get there and—."

Inuyasha interrupted him this time by punching the young kitsune right on top of the head, leaving a huge, swelling knot. Swirls circled Shippou's eyes as he became dazed and confused. Inuyasha, with his hand still clenched, shook it threateningly at him.

"Think about calling me a child one more time and I won't go so easy next time!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome reprimanded, softly petting Shippou's head to soothe it, taking great caution as to not rub it too rough. She then glared over at Inuyasha angrily; "There was no need for that. Shippou-chan didn't call you a child…he said you're worse than a child." She giggled at the small joke.

Up front, Sango and Miroku laughed also, "She's right."

"Ha, ha! You got—"_eep_!" Shippou shut up quickly when Inuyasha seemed to hover over him like he grew five times in size, his eyes showing clearly that he was almost as pissed off as possible.

"Osuwari!"

The rosary around Inuyasha's neck glowed brightly before weighing down on his neck, leaving him with no choice but to get smashed into the ground. The earth seemed to shake a little from the impact, the group stopping to admire the spectacle that sometimes didn't seem old.

As Inuyasha mumbled and growled out profanity to the gravel, Kagome kneeled down and pulled his right ear, "You think you would have learned by now not to threaten Shippou-chan like that."

They all waited patiently for the spell to wear off, watching as Inuyasha slowly managed to disconnect himself from the ground.

The sky seemed to suddenly turn a deep blue color, shading everything in the area. The group looked up, wondering why there was a sudden switch in weather.

"Rain?" Sango questioned.

"Maybe, but…" Miroku gripped tighter onto his Shakujou, a strange expression passing over his face, "I don't see any rain clouds. It's like the sun just disappeared."

Shippou held out his paw when he thought he felt something, bringing it to his nose to sniff lightly, "It feels like rain, but it doesn't smell like it."

Kagome stood up, a raindrop falling into her right eye, then her left. She quickly clenched her eyes shut and looked down, her palms pressing flat against her eyelids. She felt her stomach tighten when she realized the pain that seemed to shoot through her eye muscles and up to her ears, popping them so all the sounds around her dulled.

"Kagome-chan, are you okay?" Kagome could tell the voice belonged to Sango and she could hear the slight worry in her tone. But she seemed so far away…or like they were talking under water. She tried rubbing the pain out of her eyes, but soon realized that that made it worse. She took her hands away from her eyes, keeping them clenched when the pressure was taken off. Trying to ignore the ache, she relaxed her face, blinking her eyes a couple times. When she finally felt brave enough to pop her eyes open, she couldn't help but gasp at how powerful the still air felt against her pupils.

This time, the pain seemed to travel down to her neck, where in grasped her vocals and cords tightly. For a moment, she panicked and brought her hands up to encircle her throat. She wanted desperately to reason with herself, that she just got herself worked up when she felt the pain in her eyes, but it was hard to think straight.

Quickly, she thought about trying to clear her throat by saying a few words, but they kept coming out unfinished, only being able to say the first syllable before her voice failed. Then, just as quickly as all of the grief came, it disappeared. Kagome was surprised at the relief she felt. Her throat cleared up, her ears popped again, and her eyes focused.

Releasing her neck slowly, she blinked a few times to make sure the comfort was there to stay.

"Kagome, what happened? Are you okay?"

She heard Inuyasha's voice clearly, feeling his tight hold on her shoulders while he tried to shake her out of whatever she fell into. She couldn't help but blink continuously at him, almost expecting and waiting for her eyes to burn again.

Miroku laughed a bit uneasily off to the side, "Look at that, now she's batting her eyes at him."

Sango's eyes dulled as she casually punched him in the back of his head for his stupidity, "Houshi-sama…"

Inuyasha ignored them both as he tried to examine Kagome carefully, waiting for her to say something, "Kagome?"

"I…" she trailed off, before regaining herself, "I'm fine now. I just…have no idea what happened. I got rain in my eye before, but it never felt like that."

Everyone kept staring at Kagome in disbelief, all of them jumping when they heard Shippou give a loud squeak in alarm, "Who the hell is that?!"

They all looked down at the kitsune with the large eyes and pointed finger, before following in his direction to view upon what he saw that frightened him.

It was a girl; or rather, a young woman. Her hair was her greatest feature, as it was long, surely able to flow a few feet on the ground behind her if not kept up in a high ponytail. The color was a silvery-blue, much like how Sesshoumaru's appears in the dead of night. Her bangs were shorter, stopping about an inch above her eyebrows. Her eyes were a burgundy, small and piercing. Her facial features were very distinct, what with her sharp nose, high cheekbones, and full red lips.

Her figure was one to die for, with a large, full bosom, luscious curves, and long legs. Her delicate hands were placed confidently on her hips that were covered by a thin cloth material. Her outfit was white and gold, the top half cut low to show a generous amount of cleavage, the bottom half long enough to go down to her ankles; but a large slit ran up the middle so it looked more like a robe. A long black cape was connected around her neck. She wore no shoes, showing off her small feet.

Though she looked harmless enough, Inuyasha jumped in front of Kagome, making Sango react by placing Hiraikotsu protectively in front of her. Kirara jumped off her shoulder, growling lowly and fluffing her fur.

"So you're Inuyasha…" the female stated simply. Her voice was low and deep, the kind most men find seductive.

Miroku sure looked at it that way.

Before anyone knew it, the Houshi was right in front of her, taking both of her hands into his. That certain glint lit up his eyes, a suave smile curving his lips, "And I'm Miroku. Will you bear my children?"

Inuyasha covered his face with embarrassment, Kagome and Shippou shook their heads disappointedly, and Sango got ticked off marks on the side of her head, her fist shaking she clenched it so hard.

The woman stared down at the man in disbelief, before narrowing her dark eyes. She pulled her hands away from his, pulled her arm back, and swiftly struck Miroku in the chest, sending him backwards enough to land at his friends' feet.

"Oh, Miroku-sama!" Kagome screamed alarmingly, leaning down to help lift him up, "Are you okay?"

He moaned softly, bringing his hand up to his head. He seemed confused of what just happened, only managing a: "Yeah…I think I'm fine…"

Bravely, Kagome glared up at the beautiful woman, "Who do you think you are? Sure, Miroku-sama can be a jerk sometimes, but that doesn't mean you have to hit him!"

Sango blinked over at her, "Oh…you think I'm too harsh when I do that?"

Kagome's eyes softened and she shook her head at her friend, "Oh no, when you do it, it's perfectly okay."

The comment brought a smile to Sango's face, "Arigatou!"

"No problem."

"Would you two shut up already!" Inuyasha finally snapped, not being able to hold his anger in any longer, "This should not be the topic right now!"

"Hey, there's no need to yell!" Kagome cracked back, standing and putting her fists on her hips.

Inuyasha rushed forward to argue with her face to face, his hands also fisted, "There's plenty of reason to yell!"

Before Kagome could come up with a comeback, a strong wind blew all of them off their feet, making them tumble to the ground, covering their faces with their arms so they wouldn't get any dirt in their eyes. The wind quickly stopped, however, and they looked over to where the wind had come from.

"I say you all shut up," the woman said, her voice now louder to show her displeasure with their incompetence. She pushed herself off the ground gracefully, floating higher and higher into the air until they had to crane their necks to keep an eye on her. She let out a cruel laugh before a small lightening bolt appeared in her right hand. Jolts soared off the object; of course, it didn't harm her any. A smirk was seen on her ample lips, intimidating them by allowing a flashing bolt to thrash the ground. The grass was scorched.

Out of habit, Inuyasha quickly unleashed Tessaiga, the fang growing larger as it escaped its sheath. He held it firmly in front of him, both hands gripping around the hilt.

"Who are you? Who sent you?" Inuyasha yelled up at her, growling lowly when he heard her laugh again.

"I don't think that's any of your business, Inuyasha," she answered arrogantly, twisting her right arm back, "In fact, none of this is your business right now. So stay…" she threw the lightening bolt down with hard force, "out of it!"

The bolt hit the ground, giving off a bright light before it exploded. Shippou jumped up into Kagome's arms, hiding himself against her chest. If he was about to die, he didn't feel like witnessing anything gruesome.

Kagome screamed for Inuyasha when she felt like her feet was about to be lifted from the ground and soon enough felt his arms circle around her. Miroku had gone over to Sango, his back to the explosion. Kirara grew into a large youkai in a burst of a flame, a low roar emitting from her mouth.

They soon felt the pressure evaporate. Cautiously, they all turned to look, causing the woman to laugh again.

"You're all a bunch of pussies," she spit nastily before waving her left arm. The movement somehow sent a heavy wind through only Inuyasha, causing him to fly off to the side.

It put everyone on guard again as they all prepared for battle. Sango put all her hope in her arm strength as she thrusted Hiraikotsu towards their opponent, gasping when the woman just swung her arm again to make the large boomerang fly away from her.

Miroku stepped up for his turn now, taking out a holy barrier. He mumbled a soft prayer on it before throwing it towards the woman with his pointer and middle finger. Though he was almost expecting it, he was disappointed when she again waved the ward off with no problem.

Inuyasha regained himself just in time to see the woman pull something out of her cape, then fling it towards Kagome. He was about to go towards the miko, but stopped when his keen eyes didn't catch a glimpse of a single thing.

Kagome blinked when she saw the action also, wondering if that act was just an empty threat. Then she felt a agonizing sting banging against all her senses, making her eyes go wide in shock. Again, she felt that certain pain enter her eyes again, except this time, it was much worse. Involuntarily, the bottom of her palms slammed against her eyes, shivering when she felt her eyes sink into the back of her sockets, then slide back up to press roughly against her closed lids.

She fell to her knees and screamed at the top of her lungs. In the back of her mind, she heard all the commotion happening around her, but it seemed mingled together. Her friends screaming her name, that woman laughing cruelly, the loud swishes in the air, all of them arguing…

During the mix of all this, Sango managed to retrieve Hiraikotsu again and swung it at the woman, thinking she was distracted by all the noise Kagome was making. It was almost good, but luck wasn't on her side as the woman heard the weapon coming towards her. Quickly, she waved it back, this time having it come directly at Sango. The taijiya gasped and covered her face, feeling that it was coming at too quick of a rate to dodge it properly.

Of course, Kirara wouldn't let anything happen to her master. The youkai thought quickly and grabbed the back of Sango's shirt in her mouth, flying off to the side with her. The boomerang landed in the soft ground harmlessly.

Feeling angry, Kirara turned her attention back to the evil woman with no name, barring her teeth dangerously. She pushed herself off the ground, her front legs well in front of her, ready for an attack.

"Stupid animal!" She screamed, reaching in for another thing in her cloak and flinging it at Kirara. Kirara squeezed her eyes shut, letting out a loud, torturous roar. The witch then swiped her arm, sending Kirara off into the woods.

Sango, having seen this, screamed horrified, "Kirara!"

Turning down towards her, the woman gave a smirk of satisfaction, but sucked in a harsh breath when she felt a stab in her left arm. She looked over quickly and saw that Inuyasha took her distraction as an opportunity to slice down her arm. She gazed at all the dark blood pouring out of the long slit. She clamped her mouth shut tightly so as to not make a sound of discomfort.

She closed her eyes and, very quickly, as though a moment from a dream, her form warped into a small, silver ball, before shooting off into the distance.

Hating himself for not cutting her down her middle, Inuyasha cursed under her breath, but then stared at her blood on his sword. Funny…he didn't smell any blood. He landed gracefully on the ground, his sword in front of him. He reached out to touch the blood, surprised that it was already hard.

"Weird…it feels like…" He leaned forward and sniffed it, "wax…"

Inuyasha jumped out of his thoughts when he again heard Kagome give a horrific scream. He looked over to see her still hiding her eyes, Sango, Miroku, and Shippou around her, trying to get her to calm down.

Quickly, Inuyasha put the Tessaiga back in its sheath and ran over to Kagome. He dropped to his knees in front of her and grabbed her by her shoulders, shaking her lightly.

"Kagome, what happened! Calm down…I need to know what's wrong," Inuyasha made sure his voice was soft, but loud enough for her to hear over her screams. Then suddenly…her scream died. Inuyasha had to blink for the unnatural sense of it all. Her scream didn't fade out…it just stopped abruptly. However…her mouth was still open like she _was _still screaming. His heart began to pound faster, his heart knowing something before his mind.

"…Kagome?"

Kagome dropped her hands to her sides heavily, but kept her eyes shut. She leaned forward until she had all her weight on Inuyasha. At first, he thought she passed and went to pick her up, but froze when she clenched his haori tightly in her fingers.

"Kagome…please, tell me what's wrong…"

She began shaking. He felt her heartbeat speed up as well before she finally got the courage to sit back from him, but never unclenching her fingers. He leaned his face down to see hers better, his eyes widening when he observed her opening her own.

And what he saw next, he was sure, would haunt his dreams forever.


	2. Problems to Deal With

**__**

More Than Anyone Deserves

II.

All four of Kagome's friends could do nothing but stare down uselessly. Their eyes were wide, their mouths agape with astonishment.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha choked out, wanting to hurl upon seeing her dull brown eyes holding unnaturally small pupils. She didn't move when he said her name, causing him to swallow loudly and shake her gently, "Kagome, can you see me?"

Slowly, her head went up so she was looking straight ahead, but seeing past everything, not focusing on one thing. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Inuyasha felt her stiffen again and knew she was about to panic.

Her head jerked back when reality began to set in. Her hands shook as she put them in front of her face. She knew they were there. She could feel them right there. But she couldn't see them. She knew her eyes were open, she could feel it when she blinked.

"Kagome?" Among hearing Inuyasha say her name, she looked forward where he was, though slightly off to the right. When she tried to speak again, nothing but an unnatural throaty sound emitted. She closed her mouth quickly when she found it hurt to make such noises.

__

"Stay calm, Kagome, please…" She told herself, knowing that would be the best thing to do, _"Losing control isn't going to help anyone…"_

Though she told herself this, it didn't stop the tears from pouring over her cheeks, a dry sob causing her throat to ache more.

"What's happening to her?!" Inuyasha screamed as he held onto her shoulders. He was pointing the question more at Miroku, hoping he knew what might have been wrong.

Miroku quickly kneeled down in front of Kagome, brushing her bangs aside to see her eyes better. Though the answer was almost obvious, he had to ask her to make sure.

"Kagome-sama, can you hear me?" They were all somewhat relieved to see her nod. "Can you see me?" She shook her head, her lower lip quivering. "Can you talk?" All their hopes were thrown away when she again shook her head, dropping her face into Inuyasha's chest to hide her shame.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha choked out, smelling a lot more of her tears flowing. Her wrapped his arms tightly around her, surprised how blank his mind was.

All the while, Sango stood behind Miroku, her eyes wide with shock. How could this be happening? Why weren't they able to prevent this from happening? Why was Kagome the target of this misery? Looking over her quickly, Sango saw that Kagome had no visible marks or scars, literally seeming untouched.

That's when she remembered: "Kirara!" Sango turned quickly in the direction the woman threw Kirara, her heavy boomerang still over her shoulder.

"Sango, I'll come with you!" Miroku yelled for her to wait, standing up quickly. Before he turned to follow her, he looked down sadly at Kagome, already missing her eyes full of joy and hope. Sighing silently, he ran after Sango.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha whispered, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her toward him. Hiding his face in her hair, he felt like crying right along with her, but knew he had to be strong, "At least you can still hear my voice…"

"Kirara!" Sango looked around the forest area, "Kirara! Where are you?" Her voice became worried. She looked to her right, seeing that Miroku wasn't having any luck, either.

Cupping her hands around her mouth, Sango was about to call out again when she something lying on the ground in a pile of leaves. Narrowing her eyes, she tried to make out what it was. She knew it to be too big for Kirara's small size, but too small for her large size. Taking a few steps closer, she soon realized that it was a person.

Her eyes widened in alarm, "Houshi-sama! I think someone's injured over here!"

Miroku rushed over to Sango's side as they cautiously approached the fallen person, trying not to alarm them. Sango's heart skipped a beat, causing her to pause in her motions. Miroku noticed this, but took the last steps, kneeling down to get a better look.

"It's a girl," he stated, no doubt lecherous thoughts beginning to swirl around in that mind of his. The fact that she was naked wasn't helping any. She had a nice, slim body, but Miroku couldn't help but notice the black stripes that marked her legs and arms in certain areas. Slowly, he reached out to run a finger over a black streak that crossed her shin.

"They're definitely not scars…they don't rise off her skin. Must be some kind of marking…" he mumbled to himself. Her hair that was so blonde it almost seemed white was long and hid her face. Without thinking, he reached out a hand, his fingers barely touching the strands.

"Houshi-sama…" Sango called lowly from behind him, causing him to pause. He looked over his shoulder and saw how worried she looked.

"We have to help her, Sango. She's still alive," he replied. But her anxiousness rubbed off on him, a couple sweat beads rolling down the side of his face. Again, he reached down to push her hair from her face. And there, right in the middle of the girl's forehead, was a black diamond-shaped marking.

His eyes widened, "That's…"

"That's Kirara's marking…" Sango finished for him. Her legs became wobbly when her brain was beginning to register what her heart already knew. She lowered herself until her knees hit the ground, Hiraikotsu falling beside her.

"Miroku! Sango!" They heard Shippou calling them now. Miroku stood up and saw Inuyasha leaping towards them, Kagome on his back and Shippou on his shoulder. He stopped when he landed perfectly beside Sango, looking at Miroku with worry.

"We better get Kagome back to Kaede's village…maybe she'll be able to help her," he added, looking sadly over his shoulder where Kagome rested her cheek. He turned back to the others, "She passed out a couple minutes ago."

Tears came to Shippou's eyes as he looked into her sleeping face, "Poor Kagome…"

Inuyasha finally noticed the girl on the ground, "Who's that?"

Sighing, Miroku looked from Sango to the girl, "Well…"

"It's Kirara," Sango finished again. Finally reclaiming herself, she got up quickly and went to Kirara's side. Gently, handling her as though she was porcelain, she slid Kirara's upper half onto her lap. Her hair fell out of her face, revealing her human ears.

"Nani-wa?" Inuyasha questioned, scrunching his face up in confusion, "Are you blind, Sango?" He asked, instantly regretting it. His ears lowered and shame flashed across his eyes. He looked back at Kagome, wanting to apologize for the outburst over and over, even if she didn't hear him say it.

Sango glared at him, but her anger was only run by her sorrow. What had that witch done to her poor Kirara? Sure, the youkai didn't look like she was in pain, but she wasn't meant to be like this. This wasn't who she was.

Looking back down at her, she ran her fingers over the diamond, "Kirara? Kirara, can you hear me? Please wake up…" Though she said this, Sango was almost hoping they would be able to find a cure for Kirara, and Kagome, and they would both basically sleep right through the whole ordeal.

"She's a very beautiful human," Miroku commented suddenly, leaning down by Kirara's side. His eyes roamed up and down her body, his head nodding.

With fire in her eyes now, Sango shot daggers silently. She tried her best to ignore him as she looked up at Inuyasha, "Inuyasha, do you mind if I borrow your haori?"

"Uh?" Inuyasha asked, snapping out of his look of distaste, "H-hai." He kneeled down and carefully lowered Kagome to a patch of leaves. He took his red haori off, handing it over to Sango. She quickly lifted Kirara's shoulders, trying to put it on her as fast as she could and away from the prying eyes of the Houshi.

"Mm…hm?" Kirara mumbled as Sango shifted her around. Her body felt strange, not really pained, but awkward. It felt like Sango was trying to put something on her that wasn't meant to fit.

"Kirara?" the youkai turned ningen heard Miroku call her. Automatically, her instincts kicked in. She heard the uneasiness in his voice and thought he needed help. Her eyes snapped open, Miroku the only thing in her sight.

"Mir—," she began to say but stopped quickly when she noticed something different with her voice.

"Your eyes…they're so beautiful," Miroku said sincerely, taking both of her hands into his. This shocked her even more. Looking down, she saw that they were actually holding hands. Her eyes widened as she jumped to her feet smoothly. Out of habit, she bent forward as she waited for her front paws to hit the ground. When she got into this position, she quickly stood back up straight. Her body went with whatever felt the most comfortable, and standing on two legs was easier than four.

"Do something, Sango, before he rapes her senseless with his eyes," Inuyasha fired, finding it hard to focus on Kirara's problem when Miroku wanted to be all over her.

Sango nodded and stepped in front of Kirara. Since the haori was already on her arms, she just needed to pull it forward and tie it around the front to hide Kirara's now obviously naked body.

Her hands shook as she did this, tears also coming to her eyes as she spoke, "Gomen ne, Kirara…I never meant to have this happen. I should have protected you better." She sniffed when she was done adjusting the haori, looking into her fire-cat eyes; the one thing that didn't change.

Cocking her head to the side, Kirara blinked then looked down at herself. Though she was standing strong and firm before, just seeing human legs beneath her was making them go weak. Her knees locked as she wobbled and fell forward clumsily into Sango's arms.

"Kirara!" Sango cried out, holding onto Kirara's shoulders. Miroku came from the side and put his hands on her waist. He tried to help ease her up, smiling when he saw that Kirara's eyes weren't full of fear, but of wonder.

"Don't think too much about standing," he told her. His smile grew when she looked at him, "Just do it and you'll be fine."

"Houshi-sama!" Sango cried, swatting his hands away from her, "Don't talk like she has to know how to do this for the rest of her life!"

Miroku held up his hands in defense, "I'm not, Sango…but until we find a way to change her back, she might as well get used to her form now."

Getting curious and tired of being in the background, Shippou came forward and jumped on Kirara's shoulder. He studied her closely, wanting to laugh when she stared at him in amazement. His big eyes blinked, finding her just as interesting, "I guess I'm the smallest now…"

Kirara closed her eyes and smiled, tilting her head to the side. She gave a small, close-mouthed laugh.

"I told you, she's not staying this way," Sango retorted, her fists clenched.

"Relax…you'll make her upset if you keep acting like that, Sango. She doesn't seem alarmed, so don't make her that way," Miroku warned gently, glad Sango was already calming down.

She nodded, "You're right, but…" She turned around, only to see Inuyasha and Kagome not there. "Huh? Where'd they go?"

"I think Inuyasha got tired of waiting for you guys, so he took Kagome to Kaede's himself." Shippou explained, remembering how Inuyasha was gone too fast for little him to catch up easily.

Miroku tapped his staff on the ground twice, "I think we had better follow after him. He has the right idea going to Kaede. Even if she doesn't know what to do, surely she knows someone that does." He paused when Sango and Shippou nodded, then turned toward Kirara, "Can you run or would you like me to carry you?"

Kirara's mouth formed a small "o" shape, catching Sango's annoyed expression. Of course, Kirara knew Miroku well enough to not take up his offer. She looked down at her legs again as she tried to take a step, her legs still wobbly. Finding that she was thinking too much about it, she followed Miroku's advice and just did it. Looking straight ahead, she took a few more steps, surprised at how easy it actually was in this body.

Without warning, she broke into a fast run, her bare toes the only part of her feet hitting the ground. Shippou screamed when he almost fell off her shoulder, just barely wrapping his paws around Inuyasha's haori. Kirara's long off-white hair flew behind her as she tested out her new body. Though there was an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach, knowing this whole thing was very wrong, she couldn't help but feel excited. The youkai always did enjoy new and different things.

"Kirara!" Sango called out to her, but Miroku put a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him, almost expecting some sort of speech to just let her run. Instead, he just shook his head. Though Kirara didn't seem hurt or worried about what happened to her, Sango couldn't help but feel that something was misplaced. Wrapping her arms around herself before she followed after Kirara, she shivered.

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"Is there anything that can be done?" Inuyasha asked Kaede desperately as she worked. She was crushing some ingredients up into a little pot as Kagome rested under a blanket. She was still asleep, her breathing almost too slow for Inuyasha's liking. Every once in awhile he would see her eyeballs moving frantically underneath her eyelids, then watch her squeeze her eyes shut tighter. He couldn't even imagine the pain her eyes were in.

"Isn't there even some way to make the pain in her eyes go away?" he asked, even though she didn't answer his first question.

"I'm making the remedy right now, Inuyasha. I don't know what can cure her quandary, but until I figure it out, this should help calm down her nerves." The old woman explained simply, crunching and then stirring whatever was in the pot until it was a thick liquid. Crawling closer to her, Kaede dipped two fingers into the pot before pressing them to Kagome's eyes, smearing the green substance until it was hardly noticeable.

"That is all I can do for her now," she declared, groaning when she stood up. "I'm going to have to look more into this. Are you sure you didn't see what this woman threw into her eyes?"

Inuyasha shook his head, keeping his eyes locked on Kagome, "Iie. It was…nothing."

Instead of insisting that it had to be something, Kaede let it be at that. She looked down at the couple in sympathy before exiting the hut.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha scooted closer to her, feeling relieved that her eyes were holding still now. He jumped in surprise when she made the same throaty sound she made earlier. Her voice sounded tormented, but Inuyasha could tell she was trying to make out the first syllable in his name.

She winced when her throat hurt again.

"Don't strain yourself," Inuyasha told her sensitively, running his claws through her hair. As if just hearing his voice made all her pain go away, she gave a small smile and breathed out his name. Almost inaudible, however, Inuyasha caught it and held onto it for deal life.

Her hand came out from under the blanket and felt for his hand. She pulled it gently toward her, suggesting she wanted Inuyasha to lay with her. Without hesitation, he did what she wanted. Though he wouldn't even think about doing it any other time, he wrapped his arm around her. She needed to know he was there more than ever.

Before he knew it, Kagome was asleep again.

__

'Kagome…do you even realize what's happened to you? Do you still think it's all a dream?' He silently asked her, resting his head next to hers.

__

'Maybe it is only a dream…' and with that, he closed his eyes, also.


End file.
